Door for automobiles having demountable tops



March 23 1926. 1,578,125

. M. R. HULL.

DOOR FOR AUTOMOBILES HAVING DEMOUNTABLE TOPS Filed Oct. 9. 1922 I7 F-T.l.'

- vg/a amulet MatthewR Hull.

Patented EATENT OFFICE.

MATTHEW B. I-ZULLQOF GONNEBSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T REX MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF GONNEESVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

DOOR FOR AUTOMGBILES EAVING DEMOUNTABLE TOFS.

Application filed. October 9, 1922. Serial No. 593,399.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW Hunn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Connersville; in the county of Fayette and State of Indiana have invented certain new and useful Tn'iprovements in Doors for. Automobiles Having Demountable Tops of which the following is a specification.

M said invention relates to an in'inroved I I u I l door for use in connection with filltOlTlObllGS: lit is an ob ect having demountable tops. of my invention to provide a door of the character described having awindow opening in the upper part with a single panel preferably of glass, for closing it either wholly or in part, as desirec. v

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for holding the glass panel in adjusted positionp A furtl er provide means for limiting and cushioning the downward movement of the panel.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters ,indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device,

Figure 2 a section on line 22 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 a fragment of Figure 2 on an enlarged scale.

In the drawings reference character indicates the lower part of the automobile door which may conform in general to the ordinary automobile door except as hereinafter specified. This door has an outer framework surrounding the hollow central portion and is closed at the outside by a sheet metal cover 11, the inside being also suitably covered by upholstery or otherwise. The upper door section comprises a frame having upper and lower members 12 and 13 and side members 14 and 15. The side membcrs are provided with ashcet metal covering member 16 similar in appearance to cover 11 and fitted closely thereto. The upper door has a hinge 1? and the lower door has a pair of hinges 18 as usual. The member 13 is cut away to make room for the glass panel 19 of the door and the cross n'ieinbcrs 20 and 21 of the lower door are similarly formed and spaced apart. The two door sections are resiliently held in proper relation to one another bya torsion bar 22 having bent at and 2% object of the invention is to the and acting to hold. the upper door section slightly in advance of the lower door section as in my copending application No. 525,927, filed December 30 1921. In this casethe lower arm 24'is fixed to the lower door section by a screw or like connection, the intermediate portion is pivoted to the respective door sections by a pair of brackets 25, 25' and the flat upper arm 23 is slidably connected to the upper door section by a pair of sockets 26.

At the inner side of the door an-apron 27 of sheet metal or'the like extends from side to side ofthe door and covers the joint between the upper and lower sections. This member is folded at its upper'end as 1s shown in Figure 3 sons to providea horn zontal ledge 28 of douole thickness, 5; downwardly extending sent 29, a bottom part and a vertical part 30 also of double thickness. lWithin the pocket so formed a channel shaped sheet metal device Sl is located, this member having its upper edge recurved at 32 to provide an outwardly facing channel for a strip of rubber or other material 33 adapted to bear against the window panel 19 and hold it in place. Two or more thumb screws 34 extend through suitably threaded bearings on the apron 27 and bear against the adjacent side of the channel shaped member 31 to vary the position of the holding strip 83. Lock nuts may be provided as at 35 for holding the thumb screws the thumb screws may be turned to force the holding strip tightly against the window to hold it against any casual or accidental up or down movement. a

The lower end of the panel is adapted to rest in a trough 36 slidably mounted on a pair of vertical guide rods 37. Each of these guide rods is surrounded by a spiral spring SSbearing' on the underside'of the trough 36. The springs are adapted to support the trough at a pred-etern'iincd elevation and therefore normally arrest the downward progress of the glass panel preferably at or near the position shown in the drawings, i. c. about half-way open.

It will be seen that the trough forms a spring-actuated stop to check accidental downward movement of the panel and that by adjustment of the thumb screws 34the window panel may be held at desired elevatioin it being held in elevated position in adjusted position. It will be seen that against the force of gravity by the holding strip 33 and this strip also serving to hold it down against the action of the spring 38 when desired.

Any convenient means may be provided for raising and lowering the window. In this embodiment of the invention I have shown a clip 39 secured to the upper end of the panel midway between its sides.

It will be obvious to those skilled. in the art that my device may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention, the true scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An automobile door comprising a lower hollow section, an upper section having a window opening, a panel of glass adapted when in raised position to close said window opening and when in lowered position adapted to be concealed. in the hollow space of the lower portion, an apron masking the joint 3ctween the upper and lower sections, a strip of rubber-carried by the apron and extending across the door, said rubber adapted to engage the glass and maintain it in adjusted position, thumbscrews carri d by the door adapted to force the strip firmly against the panel, and lock nuts for said thumbscrews, substantially as set forth.

2. An automobile door comprising a lower hollow section, an upper section having a window opening, a transparent panel adapted when in raised position to close said window opening and when in lowered position adapted to be concealed in the hollow space of the lower portion, an apron masking the joint between the door sections, a swinging holder mounted on the apron, and a strip of friction material on the holder adapted to en age the glass of the panel and maintain the same in adjusted position, substantially as set forth.

3. An automobile door comprising a lower hollow section, an upper demountable section having a window opening, a transparent panel adapted when in raised position to close said window space and when in lowered'position adapted to be concealed in the hollow space of the lower section, an apron masking the joint between the upper and lower sections, movable means carried by the apron for maintaining the panel in adjusted position, and means on the apron to forcesaid movable means against said panel, substantially as set forth.

4. In an automobile, a permanent lower door section, a demountable upper door section pivotally connected to the upper edge of the lower section, means inclining the upper section 'resiliently'toward the body of the automobile, and a sheet metal apron masking the joint between the sections, said apron also concealing means, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Connersville, Indiana, this 7th day of October, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-two.

MATTHEW R. HULL. [Ls] said first-named 

